2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion
ARCHIVE 2020
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Tamara's Trek through 70 Reads and Reviews
41/70. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. A magical fantasy set in 14thC Russia with elements of folk and fairy tales.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Wishing you the best of luck with the rest of your challenge!
42/70. Disoriental by Négar Djavadi, translated from the French by Tina Kover. It won a lot of writing awards in France. It captures the immigrant experience of an upper class Iranian family forced to flee to France. I thought it was fantastic. I especially enjoyed the narrator's voice. I highly recommend it.My 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
You have read some interesting books so far. I look forward to seeing your choices for the remainder of 2020.
Hi,Amazing list of contemporary, historic fiction and non fiction. Love the fact you read across the world, stories of culture, suffering, love...
I am sure you can achieve the target by end of the year, good luck
Thanks, Esther and Fadi. I'm having a wonderful time doing what I love to do best--reading and writing.
43/70. Stay with Me by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀. It is set in Nigeria. The narrative unfolds through the alternating first-person voices of a husband and wife. The plot is well-constructed with shocking revelations interspersed throughout. The narrative weaves elements of Nigerian culture, traditions, customs, and folk tales. I thought it was very well done. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
44/70. The Break by Katherena Vermette. A dark and intense intergenerational family saga that sheds light on the plight of Métis women in Canada. The story is very powerful; the language, beautiful; the execution, problematic. This is not an easy read because of the nature of the subject matter.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
45/70. The Good People by Hannah Kent. Set in Ireland in the 1820s, it's a story about a young boy suspected of being a changeling and the efforts to "cure" him. Based on a true story. Irish folklore, superstitions, rituals, etc. are woven into the fabric of the lives of the villagers. Kent is a very talented writer, skilled at generating atmosphere and cultural climate. I thought this was as good as her first novel, Burial Rites.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
46/70. Lost City Radio by Daniel Alarcón. A powerful depiction of the horrors and injustice of living under a tyrannical government.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
47/70. The Blue Fox by Sjón--an amazing novella. Part fable, part fairy tale, part myth, and part magical realism. Translated from the Icelandic. It won the 2005 Nordic Council Literature Prize. The language is sheer poetry.My 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
48/70. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, translated from the Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones. I thought it was brilliant. I loved the narrative voice of the feisty old woman. So different from Flights, which I also loved. Tokarczuk is such a talented writer with an amazing range.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
49/70. Last Train to Istanbul by Ayşe Kulin. It had a lot of potential but I thought there were a lot of problems with the structure and quality of writing. Disappointing.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
50/70. Unbowed by Wangari Maathai, winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. It was an inspirational memoir of a very courageous woman.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
51/70. Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga. A coming-of-age story of a young girl in Zimbabwe. Very well done.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
52/70. Quixote: The Novel and the World by Ilan Stavans. A delightful companion to Cervantes' masterpiece.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
53/70. The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri. A very moving and sensitive portrayal of a Syrian couple as refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria. The story was well-crafted and the writing was excellent.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
54/70. Wilding: The Return of Nature to a British Farm by Isabella Tree. A detailed account of returning a 3,500 acre estate back to nature and the positive impact doing so has had on the natural environment. Informative and inspirational.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
55/70. The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. Based on the 1620 witch trials in Vardo, a remote Norwegian coastal village. The novel is well-researched and the writing is immersive and full of vivid detail.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sameet Zahoor wrote: "How many books have you got?"Hi Sameet, my goal is to read 70 books this year. I have read 55 out of 70 so far. I've still got a way to go, but I'm chugging along, hoping to make my goal.
56/70. The Translator by Leila Aboulela. A tender love story between a Sudanese widow and a Scottish professor. I've read a couple of Aboulela's novels and love the way she writes. Her writing is elegant and restrained.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
57/70. Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis. It's a fable using dogs as its vehicle. It won a few awards, but it just didn't work for me.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
58/70. Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera about the civil war in Sri Lanka told through the voices of two young women on opposite sides of the ethnic divide. The writing was lyrical, eloquent, and immersive. I highly recommend it.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
59/70. Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers: Monstrosity, Patriarchy, and the Fear of Female Power by Sady Doyle, a feminist exploration of how popular culture reflects and reinforces patriarchal norms. The work is well-researched, educational, and insightful. In spite of some of the gruesome details of real-life crimes against women, Doyle manages to inject a touch of humor in her exploration where appropriate so the work is not all doom and gloom. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
60/70. Just Call Me Superhero by Alina Bronsky, translated from the German by Tim Mohr.I've loved everything I've read by her so far. This is a compelling coming-of-age story about a seventeen-year-old boy whose face has been badly disfigured by a Rottweiler. The boy has a strong narrative voice and he's very funny.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
61/70. The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa, translated from the Japanese by Stephen Snyder. It takes place on an unnamed island where things keep disappearing and where the population is under strict surveillance by the Memory Police. Weird and haunting but very good.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
62/70. Pavilion of Women by Pearl S. Buck. It depicts life in an upper class family in 1940s China. It focuses on Madame Wu, the overtly calm and sophisticated head of the large family household and the momentous decision she makes on her 40th birthday.
I enjoyed it, especially the first half of the novel because of Pearl Buck's detailed description of the traditions and customs of upper class Chinese families.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
63/70. Sisters by Daisy Johnson. A haunting, psychological drama of the relationship between two sisters. Although not quite as riveting as Johnson's Everything Under, I thought it was still a compelling read.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
64/70. The Book of Night Women by Marlon James. A slave narrative set in Jamaica. Very graphic violence. An amazing narrative voice and a remarkable achievement.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
65/70. An Imaginary Life by David Malouf. Malouf envisions the life of the Roman poet Ovid after he has been exiled to the outskirts of the Roman Empire. An interesting re-creation that can be interpreted on many levels.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
66/70. How It All Began by Penelope Lively. An elderly woman's mugging in a London street triggers a series of events with characters whose lives intersect. Penelope Lively weaves an entertaining tale illustrating the butterfly effect. Her narrative voice is funny and engaging. I recommend it if you're looking for something light to read.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Hey Tamara, this is such an impressive line of books! Good luck with the rest of the challenge :)
Hello, Dhiya. Thank you for your kind words. Yes, I'm having a blast with reading this year. I've almost completed my challenge. And I still have a few months to go!Take care and stay safe.
67/70. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. I've been re-reading it for a couple of months as a group read. I think it is as relevant today as it was when Jonathan Swift first wrote it.68/70. American Indian Women by Patrick Deval, translated from the French by Jane-Marie Todd.
I recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about the contributions of American Indian women. The photographs alone, dating from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, were amazing.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Blagica wrote: "Keep being awesome!"
Thanks, Blagica!
69/70. A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende, translated from the Spanish by Nick Caistor and Amanda Hopkinson. I think it got bogged down with recounting the political events in Spain and Chile to the detriment of the narrative.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
70/70. The Happy Marriage by Tahar Ben Jelloun, translated from the French by André Naffis-Sahely. A thought-provoking novel which interrogates class and racial tensions, age-disparity, and a traditional versus a modern view of a Moroccan marriage. I thought it was an interesting approach, skillfully handled.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
With that, I have completed my challenge of reading 70 books for the year. But I have no intention of stopping. I want to see how many books I can read before the year is up.
Well done, me!
71/70. Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie. I've loved nearly everything I've read by her. I thought this was a great read.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
72/70. Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States by James C. Scott. A study about state formation. Scott's analysis of state formation focuses primarily on ancient Mesopotamia. He challenges the narrative that states were formed as a result of the domestication of animals and plants. The study is replete with fascinating insights.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
73/70. The Lambs of London by Peter Ackroyd.Historical fiction set in late 18th/early 19thC London. A little disappointing because I had hoped it would be about Charles and Mary Lamb. Instead the focus was on William Ireland, the man who claimed to have discovered some never-before-seen manuscripts by Shakespeare.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
74/70. Broken Glass Park by Alina Bronsky.It is her debut novel and is translated from the German by Tim Mohr. It's good, but I think her later novels are much stronger. She is generally very good at doing first-person narratives.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
75/70. The Wind That Lays Waste by Selva Almada, translated from the Spanish by Chris Andrews.A wonderful story, skillfully executed in vivid imagery and concise diction. The narrative is deceptively simple but it packs a powerful punch.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
76/70. The Still Point by Amy Sackville. Her style of writing is unique. She weaves different narrative threads together, but it is in the telling of the story that Amy Sackville demonstrates her truly exceptional talent.
My 5 star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
77/70. Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar. A hybrid combining memoir and fiction presenting a raw and gripping portrait of America and of life post 9/11 for an American born Muslim son of immigrants.
My 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
78/70. Apeirogon by Colum McCann.Based on the true story of the tragic deaths of two young girls and the unlikely friendship and collaboration forged by their respective fathers--an Israeli Jew and a Palestinian Muslim. A challenging read that leaves a profound impact.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
79/70. Beowulf: A New Translation by Maria Dahvana Headley.A feisty, energetic translation of Beowulf replete with contemporary idioms, raucous rhymes, and refreshing language. An absolute riot and definitely not your father's Beowulf.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
80/70. The Grass Is Singing by Doris Lessing. A compelling novel that shows the damaging impact of South African apartheid.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge
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My 4-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...